The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America. 2d ed

Culinary historian Smith (The Tomato in America) explains that this work is not meant to be comprehensive and that it "can only scratch the surface" of most topics. This edition offers an additional volume and more than 500 new entries, which include biographies and entries on immigrant and ethnic foodways and famous products, as well as culinary biographies of 30 cities. Still, much of the LJ review (2/15/05) of the first edition still holds true. For instance, readers still won't find an entry on the paleo diet or its advocates such as Dr. Loren Cordain. Mention of the standard western diet and metabolic syndrome are also missing. The topics chosen for inclusion, however, are appropriate if eclectic and offbeat which may be considered a strength of this work. They range from the mundane, e.g., an entry on corn, to the unexpected, such as social media and food blogging. The alphabetically arranged entries vary in length, with the longer ones divided into manageable subsections; all are written in nontechnical language and are current. Perhaps the most important features of the work are the further-reading recommendations at the end of each entry and the appendixes, which include a food and drink bibliography; information on pertinent periodicals, websites, library collections, museums, and organizations; and the very complete index.